Hong Kong Sevens

Twelve teams. One visionary committee man. New Zealand walked away with the spoils.

The inaugural Hong Kong Sevens took place at the Hong Kong Football Club ground, organised by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union with backing from Ian Gow of Rothmans. The idea came from "Tokkie" Smith, a member of the HKRFU committee, who saw sevens as the ideal format to grow the game across Asia. Twelve teams entered the first tournament, and Cantabrians from New Zealand took the title.

Fiji turned up in 1977, won the title on debut, and never really left; 19 championships would follow.

Fiji entered the tournament for the first time in 1977 and immediately made their mark, winning the title with a brand of running rugby that left crowds breathless. Their flair, offloading ability, and sheer joy on the pitch set the tone for what the Hong Kong Sevens would become. Fiji would go on to dominate the tournament like no other nation, eventually amassing 19 titles.

By 1982, growing crowds had already outgrown one ground; the world's best national sides were taking notice.

Growing crowds forced a move from the Hong Kong Football Club to the larger Government Stadium (later known as the Hong Kong Government Stadium) in So Kon Po. The bigger venue allowed the tournament to expand its capacity and ambition. By the early 1980s, the tournament had established itself as the premier sevens festival in the world, attracting top national sides and a growing international television audience.

Forty thousand seats, one horseshoe valley, and a South Stand that never really knew when to go home.

The newly rebuilt Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po opened with a capacity of 40,000, giving the Sevens a proper home. The horseshoe-shaped ground, nestled in a valley surrounded by high-rise apartments, became one of the most distinctive sporting venues in Asia. The South Stand, in particular, became legendary for its fancy-dress-clad crowds and raucous atmosphere that lasted well beyond the final whistle.

Hong Kong was the circuit's flagship from day one; the stop every player circled first.

The International Rugby Board launched the inaugural IRB World Sevens Series in the 1999-2000 season, linking tournaments across the globe into a single competitive circuit. Hong Kong was the flagship showcase from the start, the stop every player and fan circled on the calendar. The series gave sevens rugby a formal competitive structure and a path towards its ultimate goal: Olympic inclusion.

Hong Kong's packed stands and festival spirit gave the IOC the only proof it needed to send sevens to Rio.

In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Hong Kong Sevens had been central to the sport's case for inclusion, serving as living proof that sevens could fill stadiums, captivate television audiences, and deliver a festival atmosphere that few other sports could match. The decision transformed the competitive landscape, with national federations investing heavily in sevens programmes.

Two and a half years of silence; when the fancy dress finally returned, it felt like the whole city exhaled.

For the first time in its history, the Hong Kong Sevens was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament would not return until November 2022, marking the longest absence in the tournament's history. Hong Kong's strict quarantine measures meant the city was one of the last major sporting destinations to reopen. When the Sevens finally returned, the relief was palpable; the South Stand's fancy dress had never looked quite so joyful.

Fifty thousand seats, a runway's ghost beneath them, and Argentina finally atop the podium.

The 2025 Hong Kong Sevens moved to the new Kai Tak Sports Park, a state-of-the-art 50,000-seat venue built on the site of the old Kai Tak Airport. The move marked the end of the tournament's 30-year association with Hong Kong Stadium and the beginning of a new chapter. The larger capacity and modern facilities signalled Hong Kong's continued commitment to hosting the world's premier sevens festival, with Argentina claiming their first-ever title at the new ground.